“When you hear that…potentially…the winners and medallists of the London Marathon…that British athletes are under suspicion for very high levels of blood doping…when you think of the effect on young people…what are your emotions about that?”

Paula Radcliffe is the only British winner of the London Marathon since 1996.

That only changed when Paula chose to challenge what she regards as a lie.

b) Be positive

Being positive is the next step.

And here Paula got most of it right, saying:

“I am 100% confident that the full explanations and circumstances around any fluctuations in my personal data on a very small number of occasions will stand up to any proper scrutiny and investigation.”

Indeed her lengthy statement was robust and positive.

But then came the killer line:

“I categorically deny I have resorted to cheating…”

It’s just so tempting to repeat the damaging words of the unspoken accusation.

But the truth is that only Paula is talking about her “resorting to cheating”.

What should she have said?

“I have only ever won fairly – through hard work, dedication and being completely clean.”

It’s harsh – but headline writers will always pick up on a negative before a positive statement.

So keep it positive – all the time!

c) Be personable and polite

Here Paula scores very well indeed.

In a BBC interview – while clearly upset at the implications of Jesse Norman’s words – she remained both polite and personable throughout the interview.

The answers are normally defensive – when in fact, it’s the perfect opportunity to be direct and condemn drug cheats.

Middle distance runner Mo Farah – who continues to excel on the track – lost his cool at a news conference some months ago when his coach was under attack…despite an absence of allegations against him.

“You guys are killing me” he told journalists.

In fact they had just turned up to hear what he was saying!

His normal personable and polite persona gave way to irritation and agitation.

The journalist is offering a platform to under-fire athletes like Mo and Paula.

They have to step on to that platform and react personably and politely – to get their message across in the right manner to the audience, rather than the journalist.

As Paula explains, athletes are unable to prove that they’re clean.

Tests can only prove that athletes have cheated.

But I wish her well in challenging apparent misinformation and misinterpretation surrounding her blood tests.

Protecting your reputation is a lifelong job.

You could say it’s a marathon rather than a sprint.

At least in that regard, Paula Radcliffe will be better prepared than any of us.